


Red Letter Day

by RisemboolRanger



Category: Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons)
Genre: Action, Adventure, F/M, Fantasy, Friendship, Multi, Romance, Superheroes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-18
Updated: 2014-10-12
Packaged: 2017-12-12 06:08:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/808178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RisemboolRanger/pseuds/RisemboolRanger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Like most superheroes, Sidney's powers have always set her apart from everyone else. Desperate to find a place she can belong, she fights a long battle to get into the Justice League and the world of heroes. But what she doesn't realise is that the struggle only gets harder from there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Eager Recruit

“Aww come on, don’t be such a stick in the mud!”

“For the last time, I said _no_!”

Of course that didn’t bother me. I’d been snubbed seven times already. One more certainly wasn’t going to have any effect. People have told me I have selective hearing… I reckon I just hear the stuff that’s worth hearing. But apparently that’s 'the same thing'.

I danced after the man in the black cape – the superhero who was currently trying to avoid me, since I’d cornered him after he’d assisted the police with a store robbery. As usual it didn’t deter me. I’d chase him for as long as I could. I’d been doing it every time I’d managed to find one of the members of the infamous Justice League.

Unfortunately, I seemed to keep finding the miserable ones. They were a little harder to work with…

“I can be of use to you, y’know,” I insisted as I chased after him. I was determined not to let him out of my sights – he was very good at disappearing off the radar if you so much as blinked. “Just give me a chance.”

“Do you have a hearing impairment? I already told you no,” he said irritably.

“Well I have actually been told that I talk too loud,” I admitted. “Apparently I’m not ‘aware of my own volume’.”

Batman just sighed and continued to stride around the corner. I had to practically jog to keep up. Though I wasn’t too bothered about the seven rejections so far I still didn’t really want to let the figure reach double figures. I was determined to at least make _some_ progress.

People stared as I skipped past. I caught sight of us in the reflection of one of the big store windows. It did look a picture - the stoic man in black attempting to escape the girl with the tiny, bouncing red ponytail.

“You do know I’m going to keep doing this until you say yes, don’t you?” I shouted brightly after him.

“Then you’re going to be doing it for a very long time,” came the annoyed reply.

“Hey Bats! If a girl’s going through the trouble of chasing you then you could at least give her the time of day.”

I looked round to see a guy in red stood leaning against a post on the sidewalk, looking highly amused. Now this was someone I hadn’t tried reasoning with yet… Though unfortunately the superhero known collectively as Green Lantern was stood beside him. I’d spoken to _him_ multiple times before and he was about as uncooperative as Batman was.

He was clearly thinking along the same lines when he spotted me. “You again!”

“Hey, I told you I’d be back,” I reminded him with a grin.

“I was hoping it was an empty threat,” Green Lantern grumbled.

“Hang on, how come you and Bats know this girl and I don’t?” protested the guy in red.

“I’m Sidney Crichton,” I announced helpfully.

Green Lantern ignored me. “It’s better if you don’t,” he told his comrade. “We’ve been trying to…”

He didn’t get to finish. The other guy had suddenly sidestepped around him with inhuman speed and come to stand in front of me. He held his hand out with a smile. “I’m Flash.”

I smiled back. “I know,” I said, making to shake his hand.

Flash looked impressed. “You do?”

Green Lantern knocked his hand out of the way. “Don’t get cocky – she’s not interested in _you_. She knows about all of us. She wants to ‘join’ the Justice League.”

“So?” said Flash, giving me an obvious look up and down. “She’s cute. I say let her join.”

I felt a little smug and tried not to grin like an idiot. Well at least it looked like _someone_ was prepared to vouch for me - who cared what the reason was? But of course there was always somebody else who had to rain on my parade…

“That is _not_ an acceptable reason to take on an amateur,” Green Lantern pointed out frostily.

“You know, you take the fun out of everything,” complained Flash.

“And I’m _not_ an amateur!” I added huffily. “I’ve gone up against loads of criminals on my own! Ask Batman – I was just reminding him about the time that…” I looked around as I was talking, but couldn’t see Batman anywhere.

“Err sorry, but Bats disappeared already,” said Flash helpfully.

“Aww, dammit...” Not _again_! But at least I still had two other members of the Justice League in my sights. Batman had been proving to be a lost cause so far – maybe I’d have better luck working my magic on these guys instead…

“Sorry kid, but it’s just not happening,” said Green Lantern adamantly. “You think you’re the first person who’s asked to join us?”

“But don’t you at least wanna see what I can do?” I asked, almost desperately. I didn’t like that he was lumping me in with all the other wannabes… I _was_ different to everyone else. It was just that nobody wanted to give me a chance to prove it.

"Sure, colour me intrigued," said Flash.

But before I could even get excited that _someone_ finally seemed interested, Green Lantern grabbed his arm and cut in, " _No thanks_. Come on, Flash. Let's go."

"Sorry, Little Red," Flash apologised over his shoulder, as Green Lantern pointedly steered him away. "Maybe another time."

Dammit! I cursed to myself, feeling a strong urge to kick something. _Strike eight_. I may have been used to getting shot down, but that didn't make it any less frustrating every time. All I wanted was to help do good... But instead I just seemed to make a nuisance of myself. What did I have to do to catch a break around here?

Feeling defeated yet again - trust me, it was starting to get old - I turned on my heel and reluctantly started back in the direction I'd come from. I caught sight of my reflection in the window again as I passed the big electronics store. Needless to say I didn't have quite the same bounce in my step this time.

I headed back to the bar with my usual report. It was quite empty at this time of day, though Newton Freeman was sat at the far end of the bar like usual. He looked round when he heard the door open and beckoned me over. "Any luck?"

"Nope. I struck out again," I lamented miserably.

"You blew _another_ interview?" asked Bobby, the bartender, with raised eyebrows. "What d'ya do this time?"

"I just guess no one likes my approach."

Newton closed his laptop and folded it under his arm as he slid down from his stool. "Come on. Let's go talk out the back."

I followed him out through the side door. Not many people knew it but the run-down bar backed onto a small garage. You could say that it didn't get a lot of business... Not _legally_ anyway. But it was Newton's pride and joy and where he spent most of his time. It happened to be one of my primary hangouts too, second only to the bar itself.

"So who'd you get this time?" asked Newton, once he'd sat down at the only desk and set his laptop back up.

I leant against the bonnet of what was left of half an old Celica. "Well I guess you could say it was a bit of a hat trick this time... A failed one."

"Be more specific."

Newton was the only one who knew what I'd _really_ been trying to do for the last few months. He was my most valuable ally - he combined as a trustworthy friend, my mechanic and the best source of intel I knew. It wasn't that I didn't trust my other friends... I just wanted to keep my intentions as low-key as possible.

In case you hadn't already guessed, I'd been fighting tooth and nail (sometimes literally) to prove my worth so that I could join the renowned Justice League. You could say that I hadn't really put my skills to the best use in the past, so now I wanted to make up for that. Call it my own form of atonement.

But obviously it wasn't that easy. You couldn't just produce a résumé or take a training course in order to join up with a team of superheroes. You needed a way to really prove that you'd be a valuable asset to them... Which definitely wasn't easy when said grumps weren't even willing to give you a chance.

I'd been taking whatever opportunity I could to build up my street cred rather than a résumé. I'd become quite well-known around the area. With my own mine of local information (i.e. Newton) I was able to track down criminals in action and try to take them out myself.

Now I know what you're probably thinking... I was just a tiny rookie girl who couldn't do squat against the bad boys. But think again. I'd done my own kind of personal training over the years and I'd taken down quite a few crooks all by myself. I guess you could say that the street cred actually _was_ my résumé. It was at least proof that I _could_ do something to assist in the greater good.

Not to mention with Newton's intel skills on my side, having the necessary info to catch criminals in the act also meant that on occasion I bumped into members of the Justice League, who would also be trying to apprehend said criminals. Accidentally on purpose of course. But as of yet, I still hadn't been able to let them see _me_ in action. Hence the eight strike-outs.

"Well I started off following after Batman," I recounted. "Then he disappeared just as Green Lantern and the Flash showed up."

"Ah..." was all Newton said. He knew as well as I did that Green Lantern wasn't the best person for me to try and find my way around. I'd pestered him on three other occasions so far - they'd all worked out just about as smoothly as it had today.

"Exactly."

"What about the Flash? No luck with him either?"

"Well he seemed more interested than the others..." I said thoughtfully. "But Green Lantern dragged him off like a kid in a toy shop before I could show off any of my skills."

Newton sighed. "Maybe you need to try this whole thing from another angle..."

"Like what exactly? I don't really have that many angles to work."

"Like anything! What you've been doing so far clearly doesn't seem to be working," said Newton.

"But it's not really like there's a multitude of ways to follow someone and get them to listen to you," I pointed out.

"When you say _follow_ you don't mean you physically stalk them, do you?" asked Newton suspiciously.

Uh oh. Something told me the truthful answer probably wasn't going to be the right one. "Welllll..."

"Oh god..." Newton rolled his eyes. "Just _please_ tell me you don't actually go round chasing them and shouting things at them..."

I hesitated. Again I didn't think he'd be happy with the truth. "Welllll..."

" _Sid_!"

"What?!" I protested. "How else am I meant to get their attention?"

Newton just shook his head. "No wonder you've been striking out so much... You're not exactly subtle, are you?"

"In case you haven't noticed subtle isn't one of my strong suits," I reminded him.

Newton sighed. "You're telling me. Why did I sign up to be your coach for this again?"

"Because you're super sweet and super smart and clearly the best guy for the job?" I suggested teasingly.

It was such a blatant attempt to sweet talk him, but he still seemed mollified by it. "Well seeing as you're right on all of the above I guess I shouldn't throw in the towel just yet. And since you were so nice and so obviously _not_ false about it, I suppose I might as well give you what I've been working on..."

"I get a present?" I asked eagerly.

"It's more of an upgrade than a present, so I wouldn't get too excited." He pulled something out of the drawer underneath his desk and handed it to me. "There you go. Fresh from the shop. Or garage, more like."

It was a gymnast's baton. Well... I knew it wasn't a _real_ one. It was just fashioned to look that way. Gymnastics was the root to my athletic skill set - I'd practiced ever since I was a tot. It certainly came in handy for climbing and even for fighting, so I'd wanted to incorporate it further. Sticking with the same theme, I'd decided to get hold of a gymnast's baton to use as a makeshift weapon.

Unfortunately, they're not really that durable. Or useful. I mean, they're basically just a plastic stick when you look at it... I wanted something stronger and at least a little more hi-tech, in case of the possibility of going up against criminals with knives or even guns.

So Newton had promised to make me something a bit more gadgety - that I could actually use without worrying about the embarrassment of it snapping in my hand. And extra kudos to him since he'd still stuck to my original idea of the gymnast theme.

This particular baton was quite short - half red and half orange in colour with black caps on either end. It was light, but felt much sturdier than a normal baton. "It feels very solid... What's it made of?"

"Carbon fibre."

I smiled. "I should have guessed." What else would a mechanic go for if he wanted something light in weight but heavy in strength? I spun the baton round with one hand. It had a weird sort of tipping balance to it.

"It's weighted at each end," explained Newton, watching as I tested the feel of it. "Should give it better movement when you're swinging it around."

"Sounds fun!" I said appreciatively, trying it out. It did have a pretty good swing.

"It's extendable too," Newton added. "You'll feel more of the weights' effects at its full length."

"Really?" I said interestedly, looking it over and inspecting it up close. "How do I extend it?"

"You'll find thumb inserts in the caps of each end," Newton described. "Push them simultaneously and the baton will extend. And hopefully that way you shouldn't ever extend it by accident."

I really didn't give him enough credit. He thought everything through way better than I ever would... I pressed my thumbs into the inserts of the caps like Newton had said and each end of the baton suddenly extended about another eight inches in one swift movement, making a seriously cool _whoosh_ sound.

"Awesome," I grinned, impressed. "Very superhero-like."

"Well that's the dream, isn't it?"

I smiled again, though this time it felt more bittersweet. "Supposedly... If I ever get given a chance."

"You'll get your moment, Sidney," Newton reassured me. "Just try not to worry about it too much."

That was a lot easier said than done. But I sure hoped that he was right...

**XXX**

Nothing particularly exciting happened over the next several days. Great. Just great... How was I supposed to get my chance if none of the bad guys were even going to get out of bed? I hadn't even had the opportunity to use my new weapon yet!

I found myself spending all of my time out and about, patrolling streets and alleyways. Anything to keep myself busy. Otherwise I was going to go crazy doing nothing but waiting for reports from any of my friends - hoping that someone would tell me that something interesting was finally going down somewhere.

Newton wasn't actually my only source of info - most of my other friends were too. They were all part of the same web. They shared their connections with me, seeing as I'd once been a part of it too, and were always happy to swap information. I guess the technical word for the group was 'gang', but it wasn't much of a gang anymore. Not since a huge street brawl had thrown a good half of them into prison cells - or worse, the hospital.

I cut across the street and headed down one of the side alleys. This really wasn't one of the nicest parts of the city, but there was a rather large convenience store around here which did a particular kind of sport drink that I just couldn't seem to find anywhere else. My sugar intake was one thing I could definitely go to great lengths for.

The shopkeeper was a bit of a misery guts, but he recognised me now and at least gave me a nod when I entered. Progress. I headed straight down to the back of the store, where the refrigerators kept the drinks nice and cool for me. Well, they did the same thing for everyone else too... but right now I was the only one here.

I grabbed a couple of the cold bottles and started back up towards the front. I was tempted to try and juggle with them, but somehow I didn't think the shopkeeper would be giving me anymore nods if I made a mess of energy drink in one of the aisles. And knowing me, that was probably a likely outcome.

As I reached the last aisles at the front of the store I heard a gruff voice order, "Look, just give me the money and you don't have anything to worry about."

What the...? I stopped dead in my tracks and quietly dropped the bottles onto the nearest shelf. I peeked through one of the gaps between the stock, trying to see the cash register counter. The shopkeeper was facing a man in a black bomber jacket. Was he being mugged? The man had his back to me so I couldn't tell for sure...

"Are you stupid or what?" he said to the shopkeeper. "I'm giving you an easy way out here." He moved slightly and I saw a flash of silver. Ah hell, he had a knife... This could get ugly if I didn't do something quick.

I closed my eyes and concentrated, willing my ability into action. I felt the power crawl across my skin. When I raised my hands in front of my face they were no longer there - they were invisible, as was the rest of me. Perfect.

Oh, did I forget to mention that part of my skill set? This was the ace up my sleeve. The part of me that set me apart - that had _always_ set me apart - from everyone else. The part that I wanted to put to better use. The part that I was hoping would help me to get what I wanted...

But right now I just wanted it to help me save this shopkeeper.

I crept round the aisle and snuck towards the man with the knife, as quietly as I could possibly manage. He was saying something else but I didn't listen. I couldn't listen. I had to concentrate completely on what I was doing. Concentration was the only thing that kept my power intact. If I broke that then I'd be just as visible as the next person.

Which was another reason why I had to act fast. The moment I was close enough I leapt at the guy and grabbed the hand that was holding the knife. He may have been a lot bigger than me but my sneak attack gave me the advantage, surprising him enough for me to wrench the knife out of his grip.

The effort made my concentration slip and from the shock on the shopkeeper's face I'd clearly become visible again. I could throw a few punches and kicks and still retain my cover, but physically grappling with someone made it a lot harder to concentrate. Yeah, I was still working on that.

But no matter. Superpowers weren't all that uncommon around here nowadays, so I wasn't too worried about people seeing what I could do. And now _I_ was the one with the knife.

"Finders keepers," I told the guy, keeping the knife held up but out of his direct reach.

"Well looky here; a new little superfreak," said the guy, unnerved that I'd just appeared out of nowhere.

"Sticks and stones," I said dismissively, though I wasn't too hot on the 'little' remark. Talk about patronising. "Now then, what are we gonna do with you..."

I hesitated, realising that I actually had no idea on that one... I'd saved the shopkeeper and now I was the one who was armed. But what was I supposed to do with the bad guy now that it was over? I wasn't a cop - I couldn't just arrest him. And I wasn't sure I really had the means to restrain him in any way. Maybe the store stocked something we could use... Twenty packs of Red Vines maybe?

Thankfully I was saved from having to solve my quandary when the store door suddenly burst open as the Flash raced in. He skidded to an abrupt halt, which shouldn't have been possible with the speed he'd been travelling at. He looked just as surprised to see me as I was to see him.

My surprise was quickly replaced by excitement though. This was it... This was exactly what I'd been waiting for! A member of the Justice League was standing _right there_. And I'd just apprehended a store robber all by myself - I still had him right in front of me! The amount of times I'd tried telling them about past criminals I'd helped to stop wasn't quite the same as them getting to see it for themselves first-hand. Especially when they'd never been interested in listening in the first place.

My mood was deflated just slightly though when the Green Lantern came through the door next. He'd probably make things a little more difficult for me, as usual. "I thought I told you not to run on ahead," he scolded Flash.

Flash ignored him. "Err, that girl from the other day beat us to it anyway."

"What?" Green Lantern then spotted me, standing between the shopkeeper and the mugger. "Oh great, you _again_?"

"Well if it isn't the fast and the furious," I said casually.

"Funny," said Green Lantern dryly, though at least Flash laughed at my genius quip. "Now how did you get here before we did?"

"Hey, I _told_ you I could help," I pointed out evasively. Probably better to avoid the fact that I'd just very luckily happened to be in the right place at the right time. "But don't let me hog all the fun - I'll let you take it from here."

I nudged the mugger towards them. He went willingly, hands raised. He clearly wasn't stupid enough to put up a fight against two well-known superheroes. Green Lantern took the guy by the arm, raising his eyebrows at me. "And you really apprehended this guy all by yourself?"

"Of course I did!" Was he seriously going to doubt me when the evidence was right there? "Look, he had this knife! I was saving the shopkeeper!" I turned eagerly towards the man still behind the cash register. "Right?"

"Err, yeah, she did," agreed the shopkeeper. He seemed even warier around these heroes than the mugger did. I guessed some people just didn't do well with celebrities. "She came at that guy out of nowhere and grabbed the knife out of his hand... Literally out of nowhere."

Green Lantern seemed to catch the double meaning. "Literally, huh?"

"Well I've been trying to show you what I can do for ages now!" I pointed out. "Look, just watch..."

"Later," Green Lantern interrupted me, holding up his free hand. "Let's deal with _this_ guy first and then we'll talk."

" _Really_?"

I could barely believe my ears. He was finally going to hear me out! It wasn't anywhere close to an agreement yet, but at least he was actually going to listen to me now. I was finally getting my chance...

But unfortunately things were never that easy. Before Green Lantern even had the chance to reply the door of the store burst open yet again and this time a whole group of guys charged in, wielding knives and crowbars. They clearly weren't rushing in on the scene they'd expected though.

"What the hell's the Justice League doing here?!"

"Who cares? We'll take them out too - if we don't get that money we're dead!"

The one who had just spoken then swung his crowbar at Flash, who was nearest. But of course he had no chance. Flash darted easily out of the way with his inhuman speed, stopping again directly behind his attacker.

"Come on, you've gotta give me more credit than that," he said, before punching the guy in the face.

I couldn't just stand and watch the others - I had to make use of myself and help out as much as I could. Using my power, I turned invisible again. Either nobody else seemed to have noticed that I'd just vanished before everyone's eyes or they simply didn't care. Maybe they didn't think I'd be much of a threat... Well if so, that was bad judgement on their part.

I briskly surveyed the scene and made a few quick decisions. I'd never gone up against this many people before, with or without help. But I had an advantage that nobody else did - I could take people out without being seen. I quickly thrust the knife I was still holding through the waistband of my jeans. I didn't want to use it unless I had to, but I'd have been stupid to just put it down.

Green Lantern smacked the original mugger to the floor as he simultaneously tried to fight off three other guys. I jumped into the fray and drop-kicked one of them, taking his legs out from underneath him and sending him crashing to the ground. I then turned and kicked another straight in the crotch. He crumpled instantly. I knew it was a low blow ( _literally_ ) but hey, it was the easiest way to take a guy out of action.

The whole time I made sure I kept my concentration absolute. Singular moves only. No attempts at fancy sequences. No one-on-one wrestling. I had to keep my cover up.

I noticed then that two more guys were sparring with the shopkeeper, who they'd dragged out from behind the cash register. I had to get him out of here... I darted past everyone else and kicked one of the guys in the small of the back as hard as I could. He toppled forwards and away from the fight.

Damn, why was this the one day I _hadn't_ carried my new baton around with me? It would have really come in handy right about now. Though I hadn't really expected to need it when I'd only intended to go energy drink shopping...

In that case I'd have to improvise. I grabbed a chrome-handled umbrella off one of the random impulse-buy shelves by the register and swung it at the other guy's head, knocking him out of the way. It'd look like a floating umbrella had just attacked him by itself, but at least it had done the trick. And it had certainly caught the shopkeeper's attention. 

I grabbed his arm, hoping he wouldn't freak over the fact that I was still invisible. "Come on," I hissed. "Duck down and I'll get you out of here."

He did as I said and allowed me to take the lead. I dragged him past the fighting as quickly as I could, heading straight for the door. I had to stop and knock a few people out of the way - they probably had no idea what had even hit them - but for the most part Flash and Green Lantern kept them all occupied. I was able to get the shopkeeper outside safely.

But no sooner had we got out and away from the door, he suddenly turned and elbowed me straight in the face. I reeled back in pain and surprise, staggering a few steps. Not only had he broken my focus and made me become visible again, he'd also knocked one of my contacts out. I couldn't see a damn thing without them - my one eye was now blurry and smarting from the impact.

"What the hell are you doing?!" I protested.

"Sorry, kid. Thanks for the help and everything but I'm outta here."

"But..." I couldn't make sense of this situation. "But you were the victim! They were trying to steal money from _you_! What are you running for?"

He just laughed. "Did you think I was just being mugged? Sorry sweetheart, but that first guy was just the messenger. They want the money back that I stole from their boss in the first place. I'm no victim."

So it hadn't been about the store after all... It was already some ongoing dispute. They were _all_ bad guys here. And I'd just helped one of them to escape. Twice. Son of a bitch...

"Then in that case you're not going anywhere!"

I grabbed the knife from my waistband, intending to use it as a scare tactic, but then froze as he pulled a gun out on me. I may have been effectively blind in one eye, but there was no doubt about what he was holding. It clicked as he cocked the hammer back.

"And I was actually going to leave without killing you," the guy tutted, aiming the gun at my head. "You only have yourself to blame for this."

Crap... This was really it. All my fighting to get to this point where I could finally show the Justice League what I was made of... And it had gotten me staring down the barrel of a gun. I guess maybe I deserved it. I'd done bad things in the past - that was why I was so desperate to do good instead.

But at least I'd go down still trying. I shut my eyes just as the man pulled the trigger.


	2. Desperate Measures

I heard the gunshot and I felt a sudden impact, but it wasn't from the direction I'd been expecting. I opened my eyes and realised I was suddenly standing ten feet away from where I'd originally been, now _behind_ the man with the gun. What the hell? I should have been dead! And certainly not standing all the way over here...

I looked around, bewildered, to find Flash standing next to me. Oh okay, that explained why I hadn't been able to keep up with what was happening... He grinned at what I'm sure was a very confused look on my face. "You can thank me later," he said, before taking off again.

I watched, impressed, as he raced back towards the shopkeeper, snatching the gun and smacking him down to the floor in one swift movement. I literally could have blinked and I would have missed the whole thing. Not to mention I was indefinitely grateful that he'd saved me from having a bullet hole put in my head.

That was still a little hard to take in. I'd been taking on criminals all by myself for the last several months, but I'd never come quite so close to staring death in the face before. I rubbed my sore eye absent-mindedly, trying not to think about it. Hell, now I had a rogue contact lens to find as well...

"You alright?" asked Flash, seeing me rubbing my eye. Damn, I sure hoped he didn't think I was upset or anything... The shopkeeper was now out stone cold from that one punch. I really had a lot to learn.

"I'm fine. He knocked my contact out - it just surprised me and I kinda lost focus," I explained.

As soon as I said it I realised that I shouldn't have let on about a personal weakness like that, especially when this was one of the guys I was appealing to for the opportunity to join their group of superhumans. Flash was busy looking over my head though, somewhat awkwardly, and I had a horrible feeling that the one person I hadn't wanted to hear _that_ was standing right behind me...

I turned reluctantly and sure enough, Green Lantern was stood behind me. He didn't look impressed. Looking past him, I could see a huge glowing green structure like a human-sized birdcage. It was one of the many things he could do with his lantern's ring and was clearly good for detaining criminals. The guys who had rushed into the store were now all inside it. I had to get me one of those.

"So, err, how did I do?" I asked hopefully, trying to pretend that the last thing I'd said had never happened.

Green Lantern clearly wasn't prepared to do the same thing though. "Do you really think we're going to let you join us if something as simple as that takes you out of action?"

"Look, that's never happened before, I swear," I argued. "It was just a fluke. It won't happen again."

"You're right. It won't," said Green Lantern shortly.

That sounded like his final answer. No, no, no... This couldn't be over before it had even started! "That's discrimination against the poor-sighted," I protested.

"That's not the point and you know it," replied Green Lantern sternly. "Look, kid... It's great that you wanna use your powers for better things, but it's a dangerous job being in the Justice League. We can't allow people to join us if they're going to be more of a liability than a help. And it's obvious that you will be."

And with that he took off into the sky, taking the 'cage' of criminals - as well as the one that Flash had just knocked out - with him, using the power from his ring. I stood clenching my fists as he flew out of sight. He was so damn _difficult_...

Though honestly I was more angry at myself. Well done Sidney. You just blew your big chance.

Not only that, I still had that damn contact lens to find. At the time, having the long-term lenses that lasted for a month seemed like the cheapest option, but maybe I was going to have to think about having the disposable everyday lenses as the more practical one. First though, I was gonna have to find _this_ contact if I wanted to be able to see properly on my way home...

I sighed and reluctantly got down on my hands and knees in the middle of the street. It wasn't exactly glamorous, but what else was I supposed to do? I was just grateful that cars couldn't get down this street.

"So... Can I help?"

I looked up. I'm almost forgotten that Flash was still there. Not exactly nice behaviour seeing as he'd just saved my life only minutes before. "Oh... No, you don't have to do that," I dismissed him. I felt pathetic enough as it was. I was guessing he was just feeling sorry for me.

"It's cool," he assured me. "Besides, you look like you could catch a break. _And_ I can look a lot faster."

He didn't bother waiting for a response - he just started zipping about, aiding my search. I smiled. Well at least not everyone in the Justice League was a total grouch who had no time for me. Though I wasn't really sure if speed was the best asset for looking for a tiny contact lens... My eyes couldn't even keep up. Flash was nothing more than a blur of red and electric yellow. I sure hoped he could see as fast as he could move.

"Hey," I said hesitantly. "You may wanna be..." I was interrupted by the tiniest but still discernible _squish_. I had a horrible feeling I knew what it was. "...careful."

"Oops..." Flash gingerly lifted his boot and, sure enough, there was my now smushed contact. "Oh man, I'm so sorry," he said, looking sheepish.

I sighed. It wasn't like I could be mad when he'd only been trying to help. "Don't worry about it. It's not like that's the worst thing that's happened to me today."

Flash held out his hand. "How about I put a good word in for you with GL and the others in return?"

I gave him a wry smile and took his hand, allowing him to pull me to my feet. "You just saved my life. If anything, I'm the one who owes _you_ a favour."

"I'm just doing my job." He then grinned. "And I can still try and put the good word in. I'm sure we can find another way for you to pay me back."

Or maybe he wasn't so helpful after all - in retrospect, he just sounded like another typical guy to me. I rolled my eyes theatrically. "I'm sure."

He just laughed at me. "You may wanna be a bit nicer to the only guy who's willing to hear you out... Catch you later, Little Red."

And in a split second he was gone. He was definitely a strange one... With nothing else to do, I decided to head down to the bar to give my report. As usual. If anything, hopefully Newton would have a spare pair of glasses lying about - seeing as the bar wasn't too far from here. We were close enough in prescription. It'd at least be enough for me to get to the nearest eye doctor with better-than-terrible vision.

"What's up with you?" Newton asked, as I flopped onto the stool next to his usual seat, still rubbing my eye.

"You could say that today hasn't really been my day..."

I then had to recount everything that had happened, right from me going to buy my sports drinks down to my poor contact getting squished. Newton had made it clear from the beginning that if I wanted him to help me then he had to know every last detail, so that we could pinpoint what I needed to do better. Bobby was occupied down the other end of the bar, talking to Emilie, one of the regulars, so I felt I could talk a little more freely.

By the end of it Newton was shaking his head. "I can't believe you blew your big chance."

"Hey, I couldn't help it!" I protested. "I didn't exactly expect that guy to turn round and elbow me in the face."

Newton looked thoughtful. "So how many members of the Justice League have you spoken to so far?"

"Err... Batman, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Martian Manhunter and now Flash," I listed off.

Newton mulled it over, spinning the ice around in his drink. "From who you've encountered already it sounds like the Flash would be the weakest link. You should try working on him more."

I was never entirely comfortable whenever Newton wanted to try a new angle. "You mean manipulate him? You know I'm not good at stuff like that."

"You can at least flirt, can't you?" Newton pointed out. "It already sounds like he has a weakness when it comes to girls."

"Of course she can flirt!" Bobby butted in, who'd clearly heard the tail end of the conversation. Luckily he didn't seem to have overheard anything important. "Our Sid's always playing the boys, aren't ya?"

I flushed. "I don't play anyone!" I exclaimed, outraged.

"Don't kid yourself," Bobby snorted. He gestured towards Newton, who hastily busied himself with his drink. "Poor ol' Newt's a good example. You seem to have him doing every little thing for you."

"That's just business," I replied indignantly.

"Sure it is," Bobby guffawed, before turning away again to serve one of Emilie's sisters.

Newton cleared his throat. "I still stand by my point," he said, more quietly this time. "So far the Flash has been the only one even semi-interested in giving you the time of day. What have you got to lose? It isn't like anything else has really worked."

"I guess it can't hurt to try," I conceded thoughtfully. "Though the top priority on my list now is to go see the eye doctor and get new contacts. My attempts at flirting aren't going to be very sexy if I have to go in wearing an eye patch."

**XXX**

The following afternoon I realised something crucial. I still hadn't gotten my sports drinks! Okay, _I_ thought it was crucial. With everything that had gone down yesterday I obviously hadn't been able to buy any... And I hadn't given it another thought since.

_Great_. I didn't know anywhere else that even did them. That particular kind anyway. I wondered what would happen to the store after everything that had happened. Would it still stay in business, just passed on to someone else? Or would it have to close down completely?

I didn't sit and ponder it for very long. I decided I may as well just go down there and see if I could find out myself. It wasn't like I had anything better to do. Oh, the joys of being unemployed... Having black marks on your record really sucked when it came to job hunting.

It was actually quite a nice day once I was outside, but that still didn't really do anything to lift my mood. Though Newton was positive about me trying new techniques, I didn't quite have the same optimism. I was starting to think that I was never going to get what I wanted...

When I got to the store the doors at the front were open, but there were two cops standing outside and, to my surprise, Flash was as well. The cops seemed like they were just finishing up - whatever it was that they were doing - so I waited until they both went back into the store before I headed over.

"Are you following me or something?" I said by way of greeting.

"Well isn't that the pot calling the kettle black? From what I've heard, you're the one who's been following _us_ around," Flash pointed out. "And since I was here first I'm not sure you even get what following is."

"Okay, okay!" Geez, the guy could talk... "So what's going on? How come you're here again today?"

"The cops have been clearing the stock from the store so that they can close it up," Flash explained, gesturing behind him. I could see through the windows that the store had indeed been completely gutted. Bummer. "But since yesterday was such a big operation they wanted one of us here to oversee things and make sure nobody else showed up unwanted. So I got delegated with the boring job."

"I see..." I kinda stopped listening once I gathered that there wasn't anything big going on. I was now thinking more about what Newton had told me yesterday. I'd been presented with the perfect opportunity to try out his new idea literally right now!

"Wait, why am I even telling you this?" Flash suddenly backtracked.

"Because I'm cute and a surprisingly good listener?" I suggested hopefully, stepping towards him.

He grinned, but he also took a step back. "Sorry, but apparently I have to watch out for lines like that. When I tried to put in that good word for you I was just told how long you've been bugging us to let you join the League."

Dammit, how was it that they could predict my every move? I tried not to let it show on my face though and sighed lightly instead. "Eh, you can't blame a girl for trying, right?"

"So... you're not upset that it didn't work?" Flash asked hesitantly.

I gave an exaggerated shrug. "At least you still tried for me. You kept your promise." I sidled up even closer to him so that there were only a few inches of space between us. "So maybe we should start thinking about how I'm going to pay you back..."

He looked a little surprised, making me think that though he gave off the vibe that he hit on girls a lot he probably didn't have them return his advances very often. The expression was quickly replaced though by his silly grin. "So do you have any suggestions? Because I might have one or two."

I gave him my best sultry smile and boldly laid a hand against his chest, playing along the strange red fabric. "I have a few things in mind..."

I was then distracted by a loud rattle of glass behind me. I jumped and turned to find Bobby standing with a crate of bottles in his hands, watching us with an amused look on his face. _Crap_. I'd forgotten that he brought all the empty bottles to the scrap man who owned a small store on the next block - he paid him for the glass as long as Bobby took them round himself. Aw man, he was _so_ gonna get the wrong idea, especially after that comment about playing boys yesterday...

Sure enough, "You moving onto superheroes now then, Sid?" he smirked.

I felt my face grow hot. I never had an issue with flirting - it actually came pretty natural to me - but it was still _always_ embarrassing when you were caught at it by someone you knew. "Uh, no, it's not what it..." I started, making to step away from Flash.

Unfortunately Flash didn't seem to realise that the game was over. He swiftly cut across me, slinging an arm around my shoulders and dragging me back. "She just happens to have great taste."

"First I've heard of it!" Bobby roared with laughter at his own joke. "Don't worry Sidney, _everyone_ will be hearing about this!" He then walked off, still chortling to himself, the crate of bottles rattling with every movement. 

"So is that someone I need to be jealous of?" Flash teased lightly.

"Ha ha," I said dryly, wriggling away from him. Urgh, Bobby was really going to give me some stick for this one... "Thanks for that, by the way."

"You didn't think I was just going to let you play it your way, did you?" said Flash, amused. "You do realise I knew you were just playing me, right?"

Damn... He wasn't as dumb as he looked. I sighed for real this time. "Look, I'm sorry, alright? But I'm getting desperate here..."

"Kinda digging yourself a hole right now," Flash pointed out.

Wow, this was _really_ backfiring on me... "Okay, that sounded bad, but I didn't mean it like that," I said hastily. "All I want is for someone to just be on my side for once!"

"Well I hate to break it to you but even if I was it isn't like I could just recruit you myself," Flash told me, leaning back against the store window. "Why are you so dead set on teaming up with us anyway? We've had people ask to join the League before, but they've never been quite so persistent."

I shrugged awkwardly. "Long story short; I have a power so I want to use it the right way. I figured I'd be able to do more good with you guys than just trying to do it on my own. That's why I wanted to try and prove that I could be useful... Except I went and blew my big chance."

He actually looked sympathetic. "If it's any consolation I don't think you've _completely_ blown it. The League would probably still give you a chance if we really thought you could help us."

"It's actually getting that chance that's the problem," I grumbled. "Yesterday was the first day I got lucky and actually got to show off some of my skill set. It's not as easy for me to chase after crimes as it is for you guys."

Flash looked thoughtful. "So what you need is a fast way to get to any crimes in progress... Before anyone else can," he said pointedly.

"Yeah, like that's ever gonna..." I trailed off, my heart suddenly leaping as I realised what he was suggesting. "Wait, are you saying you'll actually _help_ me?"

Flash held up his hand. "I'm not saying anything yet. It'd definitely be easier for you to prove yourself to everyone else if I was helping you, but you need to prove yourself to me first."

"Of course, anything!" I exclaimed eagerly. I was _finally_ being given a chance. "What do I have to do?"

Flash tapped his chin, pretending to think about it, before grinning. I suddenly had a feeling I wasn't going to like where this was going... "You have to catch me."

I frowned. Surely he had to be messing with me. "You have super speed; how am I supposed to catch you? That's like saying I have to arm-wrestle Superman."

Flash raised his hands. "Hey, if you don't want my help..." he started.

"Okay, okay," I cut across him quickly. "I still want your help."

Flash's grin widened. "Don't worry; I'll go easy on you."

"Sure you will..."

I then bit the bullet and suddenly lunged forward to try and grab his arm, hoping I'd maybe have the element of surprise. I didn't. Flash was gone in the blink of an eye, suddenly standing on the other side of me. I couldn't see how this could be possible - how could you surprise someone who could move faster than you could think? But I wasn't going to give up so easily on the only chance I'd been given.

I tried again, this time feinting to one side before diving in the opposite direction. He still saw everything I was going to do and blurred out of reach again, coming to a halt behind me instead. I needed a way to outthink him and his speed... I just wasn't sure what that way was.

As my third, fourth and fifth attempts to grab him consecutively failed I started to lose count and I definitely started to lose patience. It wasn't helped by the fact that Flash seemed to be thoroughly enjoying running me round in circles. If anything, I wanted to catch him just so that I could wipe that silly grin off his face.

I sprang forward for what felt like the thousandth time, catching nothing but air yet again, and felt my frustrations finally give way. "This is stupid! If you're trying to prove that I'm useless rather than useful then it's working!"

"You have a power too, don't you?" Flash pointed out, stopping for the briefest few seconds. "So use it!"

Like I hadn't thought about that already. He was moving around so fast that I wasn't sure even invisibility would help me. But even so, I concentrated and let myself vanish from sight. Once I was completely invisible I started the whole thing again, though still to no avail.

Even though he couldn't see me Flash could still seem to guess every thought that ran through my head, still predict every action that I took. He sidestepped every movement at the last second. This wasn't doing anything other than making me feel like I really wasn't up to this after all. I needed to start thinking outside the box and fast.

I tried everything I could think of that wouldn't be so predictable. I drop kicked, I rolled across the ground, I even cart wheeled and back flipped. All I succeeded in doing was leading our ridiculous chase onto another alleyway. It was a smaller area, but with the way I was going I still didn't see that helping me at all.

"You've used your power. Now you may want to try using your brain too," Flash teased. He was _totally_ enjoying this.

"I'd rather try using my foot to kick you where it hurts," I growled irritably.

He just laughed at me. All I'd managed to do with that stupid quip was give away my position yet again. Maybe that was why he could pinpoint where I was every time. I was spending so much concentration on keeping my power up, as well as planning my next move, that I wasn't paying any attention to how much noise I was making...

I decided to try a different tactic. I grabbed a pebble from the ground, concealing it tightly in my hand so that the invisibility would mask it. My power only worked on other objects if they were small enough to cover with my own hands. I then backed away and pulled myself up onto the dumpster against the wall, trying as hard as possible not to make a sound.

Flash was now changing position every second. I seemed to have hit the nail on the head. Now that I was trying more consciously to be quiet he couldn't tell where I was so easily anymore. All I could hope for now was that I could use that to my advantage.

I tossed the pebble hard across the space of the alleyway, praying that Flash wouldn't see it fly seemingly out of nowhere. It hit the trashcan on the other side, making a dull clang. It had the exact effect that I wanted - Flash flitted away from the noise, close enough to where I was lying in wait for me to reach him.

I only had a second before he'd move again but a second was all I needed. The moment he was in reach I threw myself onto his back. It wasn't exactly graceful and I dropped all my concentration in the process, meaning that I was visible again, but who cared? I'd won.

"Tag, you're it," I told him smugly.

"I'm sure that counts as some form of cheating," Flash commented. He didn't try to throw me off. He didn't even seem surprised. If anything, he just sounded amused.

"Well I learnt it's no fun if you don't play dirty," I said innocently.

Flash laughed. "Okay, I'm sold. I'll help you."

My heart did that happy little skip again as I slid down off his back. "You mean it?" I said eagerly.

He turned to face me. "I said I'd help you if you could catch me. And you definitely caught me."

The way he said it made it sound like he was trying another cheesy pick-up line, but I didn't care. I was too excited. "So now what?"

"Now I come and find you whenever there's a crime taking place, as long as I can get away with it," said Flash. "I can get to you and back before anyone even realises I'm gone. Nobody can know that I'm helping you though. I don't think it'll really help your case if anyone knows you have inside help. Plus I get into enough trouble as it is."

I couldn't help but smile at that. I could definitely see Flash as the wild card of the Justice League. "I'm sure."

"And I need to know where would be the best place to find you," Flash pointed out. "Or a way to contact you."

"Oh. Of course." I didn't think it would be the best idea to tell him that I could usually be found at a bar, so I hastily scribbled down my cell phone number on a scrap piece of paper out of my pocket instead. When you worked so closely alongside an informant like Newton you learnt to always carry a pen and paper. "Here."

Flash took the piece of paper. "And you may want to think about wearing glasses in future so you don't have a repeat incident like yesterday."

I made a face. "Are you serious? Glasses would be even more risky than contacts."

Flash suddenly grinned. "I know; I just thought you'd look good in glasses. It was worth a try."

I had to bite back another smile. "Tell you what. If you help me get into the Justice League then I'll try glasses just for you."

Flash's grin widened. "Sounds like a deal."

"I've gotta ask though... why _are_ you helping me?" I frowned slightly. "You seem happy to go to a lot of trouble for this and I haven't really offered you anything in return."

Flash just laughed at that. "Ask anyone - they'll tell you that I can't resist a pretty face."

I rolled my eyes, though I was now smiling again. "I had heard that you had a bit of a reputation."

Flash smirked and didn't deny it. "Besides, I got what I wanted all along."

"What's that?" I asked, confused.

He waved the slip of paper at me. "Your phone number."


	3. Golden Opportunity

"Will you stop checking your phone? You look like a girl who hasn't accepted that it was a one-time fling and is still expecting him to call." 

I scowled across the bar at Newton. "Very funny." 

I'd been pretty irritable the last few days, to say the least. And I _had_ been obsessively checking my phone non-stop. I'd had to recharge it twice today already. But it wasn't exactly my fault. It had been a whole week since I'd given my number to Flash and he still hadn't called. The first few days I'd been happy and excited at the prospect of getting a call... which quickly depleted when it never came. 

Had crime decided to take a break just as soon as I'd gotten mine? Or had Flash's whole nice guy act just been a complete ploy to get me off the Justice League's back? The idea had been tumbling round inside my head for the last several days and it was making me feel increasingly sour.

"Honey, if a man keeps you hanging then he's not worth it. Trust me."

Presley Peralta, my best friend and apparent relationship counsellor, hopped up onto the other stool next to Newton with a wide smile and a shake of her blonde curls. She was a good several years older than me, but we got on like a house on fire. What could I say? Being in a gang was like being in a family. There wasn't that much to the gang now after a huge fight had disintegrated most of both us and the rival side - plus I was firmly sticking to the good side of the law nowadays - but the bonds were still there. They weren't as easily broken.

I smiled back. "Yeah, I'm sure you'd know that. I thought you only dated bad boys?"

"Hey, I've matured from that. I even dated a cop, remember?"

"And you ended up deciding he was too goody-goody if I remember correctly," I pointed out. "Plus I still think you only liked him because he was a lot older."

"What can I say? Distinguished men do it for me," Presley grinned. "Besides, enough about me... Why are you worried about some guy when you already have a great one right here?" She playfully ruffled Newton's red hair, whose face rapidly turned the same colour.

I nearly choked on my drink. "Don't be ridiculous - we're just _friends_. Anyway, I'm _not_ worried about any guy. I'm just waiting to hear back from an... interview. Of sorts."

I'd never mentioned to Presley that Newton and I _had_ actually tried dating once. It was way back when - I couldn't have even been more than seventeen. When I'd first known him I'd had a huge crush on him and had been ecstatic when he'd asked me out. I'd thought it had been what I wanted but I'd been wrong... The relationship had been short-lived as we'd both quickly realised that we were better off as just friends after all. It had been a totally mutual thing and we really had become better friends from it. We just didn't trust anyone else to understand without a barrage of teasing.

Plus I knew that if Newton liked anyone then it was Presley. He certainly seemed to blush enough whenever she was around. Sadly though he wasn't old enough or bad enough for her preferred tastes.

"Oh, really?" Presley actually sounded disappointed that my lamenting wasn't regarding a guy. "So what's the interview for?"

"It's sort of, um, charity work..." I improvised. Though everyone here knew about my abilities, they didn't know what I was trying to do with them. Except Newton of course. I'd kept that part a secret because I was so terrified of failing. If the whole thing did turn out to be a bust then at least only one person would know how badly I'd crashed. "Not sure if it'll work out or not though. I haven't had the best luck with it lately."

"Tell me about it," Bobby piped up from behind the bar. "How many interviews have you tanked now?"

"Thanks for reminding me," I said dryly. 'Interview' was generally the term I'd used whenever anyone had happened to overhear me telling Newton about my attempts to get recruited into the Justice League. But interviews or not, the total number of failures had really started to add up.

"Y'know, if you're really struggling for work I can get you a couple of bar shifts," Bobby offered, uncharacteristically nice. "It doesn't pay much - you kinda have to rely on tips - but it's better than nothing, right?"

"Oh, I, err..." 

Aw crap. I found myself at a loss for words. Now how was I supposed to explain that I wasn't actually currently looking for a job? I mean sure, paid work would certainly be nice, but I needed to be as available as possible in case of any possible crime sprees. At least until I could make a better impression on the rest of the Justice League. I couldn't afford to have any other commitments right now.

Luckily Presley saved me from my mind blank. "Like she'd want to work with you, Bobby," she joked. "You'd drive her insane."

"Bitch, please. I'm a riot," Bobby declared. "Sid loves my company, don't you?"

"No way, she has better taste than that."

"Well I suppose she _has_ raised the bar a little now..." Bobby agreed with a smirk. "Have you heard she's into superheroes now?"

"Oh lay off it, Bobby," I groaned. I'd been hoping he wouldn't mention that little incident to anyone else. Though to be honest I was amazed that he'd managed to keep a piece of gossip to himself for an entire week. Especially when it was at my expense.

"Hey, it's nothing to be ashamed of. Lots of girls dig the whole superpower thing. I'm still surprised though - most chicks seem to go for Superman or Batman..."

Presley looked from me to Bobby. "What's he talking about?"

"Didn't ya know? I caught her totally trying it on with the Flash last week," Bobby grinned. "So what is it? All the red spandex? The super speed? Because I thought girls _didn't_ want guys to be too fast..."

" _Bobby_!" I protested. This conversation was _so_ going in the wrong direction.

"I'm not judging. I'm just saying 'super speed' doesn't really sound like a plus when it comes to..."

Presley hastily cut across him. "Is that true, Sid?"

"The super speed thing? Don't ask me!" I said hastily.

"No, not Bobby's useless theories! I mean were you really hitting on the Flash?"

She was watching me interestedly through those blue-green eyes. Bobby leant in across the bar to hear my answer, that stupid grin still plastered across his face. Even Newton had stopped sipping quietly at his drink, curious as to what I'd say. I looked from face to face. With Bobby listening in there was no way I could actually deny it. And if I told them it had just been a ploy then they'd want to know what for. Until I had an official in with the Justice League then I didn't want anyone else to know what I was up to.

So although I tried to sound casual about it, my heated cheeks probably gave me away. "Um, maybe..."

"Wow. I guess you don't need my guy advice after all," said Presley, seemingly impressed. "Those Justice League guys do seem a little on the goody-goody side though... So is that what you're into?"

"What? No! I don't know!" I objected. What was going to be the fastest way to diffuse this conversation? I was all for a bit of banter, but why did I always have to be on the receiving end of it?

"I reckon Sid's just playing the field, aren't ya?" Bobby laughed. "I did always say you liked playing the boys!"

I resisted the urge to bang my head against the bar. "Why is it always me who gets picked on here?"

"Because you're so easy," Bobby teased. "And I mean that in more ways than one..."

"Bobby, I swear..."

I knew that he was only joking but seriously, how had I ended up with such a bad reputation when it came to this sort of thing? Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I'd had plenty of short-term flings but nothing remotely serious. My longest relationship hadn't even lasted two months... But come on, I was only twenty-three. I wasn't ready to settle down into anything. There'd be plenty of time for all the scary commitment stuff when I was older. Much older. Maybe in my forties. Or fifties.

Thankfully I was saved from being the butt of the jokes for much longer when my cell phone started ringing. Thank god! Anything to get me out of the weird territory that we'd managed to stray into over the last five minutes. I nearly knocked my phone off the bar in my haste to answer it.

"Speak of the devil," Bobby joshed. "I bet that's one of her many suitors right now!"

"Just how many guys do you think I date at one time?" I said impatiently as I answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Well for my sake I'm hoping it's just one," was the response from the other end of the line.

I frowned. "Who is this?"

"Don't tell me you've already forgotten about me."

Only then did it click as I recognised the voice. I quickly banished the thought that Flash had just overheard something that really didn't show me off in a good light, and instead concentrated on the fact that this might finally be my chance to shine. This could be it, this could be it! Suddenly excited, I grabbed my wallet from the bar and hastily jumped down from my stool. "Err, one second!"

I covered the mouth piece of my phone for a brief moment and hissed, "Gotta go," to the others. Bobby guffawed, no doubt still assuming it was one of my 'suitors', but Presley at least gave me an encouraging thumbs up. Hopefully she was still on the interview track. I lightly punched Newton on the shoulder as I dashed out, in the hopes of giving him a clue as to where I was running off to.

"Sorry. Bad connection," I lied the second I was safely outside. "What's going on?"

"What, you automatically expect something big to be happening? What if I just called for a chat?"

I could practically imagine his silly grin - probably even more annoying than Bobby's. I made a face. "Then I'd be somewhat annoyed. That isn't what I gave you my number for."

"I can't abuse my power even a little?"

"If you can get me in on some action then maybe I'll rethink." I was moving as I was talking. Even though I hadn't been drinking anything alcoholic, getting caught near a bar didn't really make a good impression.

Flash laughed. "Well then luckily for both of us there _is_ something going on. "Where are you?"

"Just near the corner of Fifth and Ogden. Outside the Walgreen's. Why, where are..." I didn't even get to finish my question because there was a _whoosh_ and then he was suddenly standing right in front of me. "Okay, that was pretty cool."

"I know," he said smugly.

"Can't say much for your modesty though," I said sarcastically. I realised I was still stupidly talking into my cell and hastily put it away. Of course whatever phone Flash had used was now nowhere in sight. "So what's going on?"

"How about I show you instead?"

Before I could protest he'd swept me up into his arms in one easy movement and then we were suddenly moving at breakneck speed. The sight of everything zipping by in one big blur made me feel light-headed and nauseous, forcing me to scrunch my eyes shut. The momentum pressed me close against Flash's chest and in spite of myself I found that I was clinging to him, trying very hard _not_ to think of throwing up.

We then stopped abruptly with such a jolt that I was surprised I hadn't ended up on the floor. But then I guessed that Flash probably hadn't even felt anything - he seemed to have built-in super brakes. He set me back on my feet and it took all my concentration to remain standing. My legs felt like they'd turned to jelly. I blinked hard several times to try and clear the fuzziness from my head.

"You alright?" Flash asked, probably concerned by my erratic blinking.

"I think I might puke..." I said uncertainly.

Flash just laughed. "Aww, but that would ruin the moment."

"Oh no, we wouldn't want that..."

I closed my eyes again, willing the swirling to stop, and somehow managed to stagger despite the fact that I was only standing in one place. Geez, I hadn't even tried to move. Flash caught my arm and steadied me. "Sorry. I guess I did kinda go a little faster than usual when I have a passenger."

"You aren't kidding," I muttered, cautiously opening my eyes. "Maybe slow down a notch next time, okay?"

Flash grinned. "You're talking to the wrong guy if you want slower."

"Hey, this is like my provisional license to ride. Give me a break."

Flash laughed again. "Yeah, okay. Here..." He waved his hand in front of my face so fast that it became a red haze. At first I wasn't sure if he really _was_ trying to make me hurl, but then the movement blew nice cool air across my face. It was more like a strong wind rather than a gentle breeze, but I had to admit it did help. Even if it was sure to give me crazy hair. "Better?"

"Better. Thanks." I hastily patted my hair back down into place and shook my head to clear the last of the dizziness. I needed to hurry up and get down to business. So far all I'd managed to do with my golden opportunity was get travel sick. Without even being in a car. (Though to be fair most cars didn't travel at mach one speeds). "So what _is_ going on?"

"We're standing on it," said Flash, tapping a yellow boot against the ground.

Only then did I realise that our supposed ground was actually a roof. The unexpected super travel had distracted me from noticing how high up we were. "What is this place?"

"It's a currency exchange," replied Flash. "Just a small one. But we've got a hostage situation going on inside from the crooks who decided to rob the place."

"Why rob a small place like this?" I wondered aloud. "It's not like this one's going to carry much money... There's a huge Travelex just in downtown Central City."

"Right," agreed Flash. "Only they're taking the old twenty-dollar bills out of circuit soon, so they were replacing them here with the new ones today. It wasn't public information, so whoever planned this is way ahead of the game. It could even be an inside job. They'll be prepared for anything."

"So you can't just go in and save the day?" I phrased it as a question even though I knew the answer. Looking down from one side of the roof I could see a burly man - easily recognisable in blue and a red cape - talking to a group of police officers. Though my knowledge of it only came from movies, I was sure that a hostage situation had to be a cop's worst nightmare.

Flash shook his head. "I wanted to just run in and take all the weapons - then the crooks won't have anything to hide behind. But Superman said I can't risk causing a stir without knowing exactly what we're up against."

That made sense. "Right. There could be someone with a weapon who's staying out of sight. Or even a criminal disguising himself as a civilian."

"Exactly," said Flash. "If I miss even one weapon then there's the possibility that an innocent person could get hurt. We need to know exactly how many people are armed before we can get in there. But we can't do that from out here and even I can't go in and know for definite that I won't be seen by someone..."

"But I can," I finished for him, knowing exactly where this was going. I felt a lick of excitement run through me. This really _was_ my chance. For the first time I was actually _needed_.

Flash grinned, pleased that I'd caught on. "Supes doesn't know I've brought you here - he thinks I'm just patrolling the perimeter. But if you can find out what we're dealing with then I can get in there and contain the situation without anyone getting hurt, no problem."

Wow. He seemed just as gung-ho as I was to be a part of the action. And he'd certainly seemed happy enough to help me out. He'd said before that his opinion didn't really count for much, making me wonder if maybe he didn't get as much respect from the rest of the League as say Superman or Batman did... Well then maybe the two of us could make a pretty good team and prove them wrong.

"Sounds good," I said eagerly. If he could help me out then I could at least do the same. "Have we got a sneaky way in?"

"Right over here." Flash led me over to the other side of the roof and pointed to a metal staircase one storey down. "Fire escape. I already snapped the latch off the door before the alarms could register it. And with your powers you should easily get in completely undetected."

"No problem," I echoed. I easily vaulted the railing and hopped down onto the rickety platform below. Flash's half-masked face appeared over the side of the roof, still grinning - I was beginning to think that must be his trademark expression. "Watch your step. And have fun!"

I grinned back and saluted him, then I concentrated and let my power wash over me, every molecule of my body appearing to dematerialise. Once I was sure I was safely invisible right down to my shoelaces I pulled the door open as little as I could and squeezed inside. I may have been on my own now, but I certainly wasn't without the skill set I needed for sneaking about unseen.

I moved quietly alongside one wall, though not too closely. Being invisible was kinda moot if you crashed into something and made a racket. And if you knocked things over as often as I did then that was a distinct possibility. So I kept my eyes ahead, but frequently checked around me for obstacles. The first armed man I saw was on the same corridor as me. I slipped past without him even batting an eyelid. That was one.

There was another crook on the next floor down and one in each stairwell. I found the rest of them in the main room on the ground floor. I counted twelve hostages - both staff and patrons - and half a dozen more criminals. There wasn't even a ratio of two hostages per hired gun. They really had planned this one out to the letter. Unfortunately for them, they hadn't counted on me.

I investigated every room that I could get into. I came across a few locked doors and had to write them off as unimportant. Hiding an armed man behind a locked door didn't seem very efficient if they were then needed. I'd just have to hope that my assumption was right. As I passed through one of the offices I found a stack of new twenty-dollar bills left completely unattended. They must have been being sorted through at the time of the break-in.

Younger Sidney wouldn't have had any qualms over swiping the entire stack... But not anymore. My views of the law were much clearer than they'd once been. I walked by the desk without so much as a second glance. Outside the door to that particular office I found another member of staff - one of the security guards, going by the uniform.

I frowned to myself. Now why would they leave one hostage out by himself with no armed guard? Especially one who already had experience dealing with criminals. Not to mention the fact that he was stood near the door, looking merely bored. All of the other hostages had had that look on their face like they believed this was their final day on earth. And why wouldn't they? It was natural for them to be scared. They didn't know if they'd make it through the event alive or not.

So why wasn't this guy displaying that same fear? I recalled Flash mentioning the possibility of this being an inside job and was immediately certain that he was right. This guy was a down and out crook. I just knew it.

I wanted to be certain so I crouched down next to the water cooler that was right in his eye line and very daringly blew one of the plastic cups off the stand. I glanced back to the supposed security guard to see his hand move towards his hip, revealing the same make of gun that all the other criminals had been using. He didn't draw it, but then his enemy was only a plastic cup. He'd done exactly what I'd hoped he would though - gone immediately for his weapon. Bad guys were always on the extra jumpy side.

I left him to it with his sudden speculations of the thirsty paranormal and slowly made my way back up to the room where I'd came in. I recounted everyone as I passed, determined not to make any mistakes. I felt elated. I'd actually managed to do something incredibly useful with my powers - something that would show the Justice League what I was really capable of _and_ something that would save lives. For the first time I felt like a genuine, bona fide superhero. Oh man, it felt good!

I made it back up to the second floor before things started to go wrong. I was passing the criminal standing guard, creeping alongside the wall like before, when he decided to start pacing. I had to press myself right into a doorway to get out of his way. He passed by me without bumping into me, but as I tried to move on I felt something pull me back. I glanced down to see that I'd gotten the front pocket of my hoody caught on the handle of the door that I'd been hugging.

I hastily pulled at it and the door handle rattled slightly. It was enough to get the man's attention. He turned and didn't seem to think anymore of it, but when he resumed his pacing he was closer to the wall and heading right towards me.

_Crap_. If I didn't move right now then he was going to crash straight into me. It wasn't very often that somebody crashed into thin air, so I wasn't entirely sure what his reaction would be. What I did know was that I didn't want to hang around to find out. So I threw caution to the wind and tugged my hoody as hard as I could.

The pocket tore all along the seam with an impossibly loud _rip_. The guy certainly couldn't ignore that. He looked right towards me, though obviously still not seeing anything. "What the..."

I backed away as he started uncertainly in my direction and hastily made a wide circle around him, still having to concentrate on staying invisible _and_ stepping as quietly as I could. I unhooked the baton that I now kept clipped to my belt and pressed my thumbs into the cap inserts on either end. It made an audible _whoosh_ as it extended to its full length, as well as becoming visible once it had been unclipped from my person, meaning I had about one point five seconds to get this right.

Sure enough, the guy jerked towards the sound. Before he could make a full one-eighty and see a gymnast baton seemingly floating in mid-air I swung it as hard as I could, aiming the hard weighted end directly at his temple. It hit him right on the money and he went down like a sack of potatoes. 

I quickly scrambled to both clip the baton back into place and fetch his gun that had skittered across the floor. I shoved it ungainly into my jeans pocket as deep as I could, causing the invisibility to spread over it. For reasons unknown to me clothes and objects directly on my person were affected by my power, but not if they were simply in my hands. Unless it was something small enough to be concealed in my palms. That was one thing that Newton hadn't been able to help me with - he didn't understand the ins and outs of superpowers either.

I hurriedly dragged the fallen man through the nearest door - into a small filing room - and shut the door behind him as I heard rushed footsteps. I couldn't tell if they were from upstairs or downstairs... It turned out to be both as the guards from both the third and second floor stairwells converged on the corridor at the same time. I held my breath and waited out of sight and out of the way.

"I thought I heard something," said the guy from downstairs, clutching his gun.

"Me too," agreed the other edgily. "Where did Perez go?"

"I don't know. He didn't come past me..."

The second guy ejected and replaced the clip from his gun dramatically. "Return to your post. I'll go tell the boss..."

I waited until they'd both abandoned the corridor and hastily made my way back to the fire escape. Only when I was outside did I allow myself to breathe deeply and become visible again. I didn't have any time to waste though. "Hey! Flash!" I hissed.

His head appeared over the railing again. Still grinning, of course. "Are we winning?"

"If you can hurry," I said quickly. How long would it take for them to find the missing crook and start moving everyone around?

"Girl, I was _made_ to hurry!" Flash insisted. "What's the lowdown?"

"Eleven crooks," I recounted. "One in each stairwell, but one of them may be downstairs by now. One on the first floor and the one from the second floor is now unconscious in a filing room off the main corridor. Six in the main room on the ground floor, with twelve hostages, and a security guard outside the offices who is totally in on the whole thing."

"Nice job!" Flash hopped down onto the fire escape with me. "You concentrate on getting down and surprising Supes. I'll meet you down there."

"Meet or beat?" I couldn't resist.

He grinned. "Which do you think?"

I handed him the gun that I'd taken. "For the collection." It would certainly save me from accidentally shooting myself in the leg or something. I then found myself adding, "Be careful."

Surprise flitted briefly across his face before being replaced by the usual smirk. "Might be a tall order, but I'll give it a try." And then he was gone in a blur of red.

I did as I was told and concentrated on getting back onto the ground, scaling down the worryingly unstable fire escapes. By the time I got down there two bemused looking cops were clutching armfuls of guns, the people who I then recognised as the hostages were milling about and being taken care of by several other officers, and Flash seemed to be getting a scolding from Superman.

"I know everyone got out safely, but I told you _not_ to go in there without being sure of the situation first," he chastised. "Somebody could have gotten hurt!"

"But they didn't," said Flash confidently. "Because I _was_ sure of the situation when I went in there."

"But how could you have been sure?"

I took this as my cue to butt in. "Hi, I'm Sidney Crichton!" I announced brightly as I jogged over to them.

Superman only glanced towards me for a second. "I'm sorry, but we're in the middle of something here."

"I know. I helped!"

"Yeah, Sidney here happened to be passing by," Flash added unconvincingly before Superman could respond. "She was able to get in unseen and scope out the place."

"Unseen, huh?" Superman turned to me, raising an eyebrow. "How exactly?"

"Getting around unseen happens to be a specialty of mine," I said simply. "Allow me to demonstrate. Now you see me..." I felt the power trickle over my skin as I disappeared from view. "And now you don't."

Superman took a short intake of breath and looked towards Flash, who was standing there with his arms folded and looking smug, then turned back to where I was standing. I let my power drop again. "So you're the girl I've been hearing about from the rest of the League..."

"Yeah, persistence also happens to be another specialty of mine..."

He laughed. "So I've heard." He looked back at all the hostages standing with the police. "Hostage situations are always tricky, but from the sounds of it you handled things like a pro. It looks like your power's a particularly useful one."

My heart leapt in my chest, but I willed myself not to get too excited _just_ yet. I'd gotten to this stage before and still managed to blow it. "You really think so?"

"I've been considering recruiting more people into the League for a little while now," Superman continued. "I just never knew where to start... But maybe you would be a valuable asset to us after all. We could probably do with training you up a little more, but there's always time for that later on. I guess we could give you a trial run to start off with..."

I felt like I was about to burst. I could barely believe my ears. "So you mean..."

Superman smiled and held out a large hand. "Welcome to the Justice League."

I don't know how I didn't start jumping up and down and break into a song and dance on the spot. Instead I eagerly grabbed his hand with both of mine and shook it exuberantly. "Thank you! I won't disappoint you, I promise!"

Superman laughed. He looked like he was about to say something but was then interrupted by one of the police officers. "Superman? All of the hostages are accounted for..."

I felt a light punch on my shoulder as Superman's attention was claimed by the police officer. I turned to see that Flash's grin was even wider than ever. "So... You're finally in! Congrats!"

I beamed at him and only just managed to resist throwing myself at him. I'd finally achieved my goal and it was all thanks to the man stood in front of me. "Thank you! Thank you _so_ much!"

He winked at me and held his hand up for a high five. "Well it looks like we're going to be working quite closely together from now on. So you can just pay me back with a date some time."

In spite of myself, I found myself grinning back as I happily returned the high five. "You know what? I may just take you up on that!"

"Hey. Sidney, was it?" Superman interrupted, turning back to me.

"Yeah?"

"Just one thing," he said. "As you know, what we do can be dangerous - both to ourselves and to others. So make sure you're always prepared for the worst, even with something as simple as dressing appropriately."

I realised then that he was eyeing the ripped pocket of my hoody, which was now flapping open rather pathetically. He was right. This baggy hoody had nearly cost me. From now on I needed to start wearing clothes that I wasn't going to snag on anything. "Oh... right!"

"Also - and I'm sure most of the League would agree with me on this - you may want to think about wearing a mask," he added. "It not only protects you; it protects those you care about too."

As soon as he said it I saw the faces of all the people I loved swim through my head. The faces of my parents, my older sister, Presley and Newton, Bobby, Emilie, the rest of the gang - some of whom had already been hurt once before because I hadn't taken responsibility for my powers properly... But not anymore. My powers were to be used for good now and hell, I was going to do this right.

"That works for me," I smiled. "I always wanted to wear a mask..."


End file.
